Abstract

The healing of an acute wound is usually a highly organised series of predictable, successive and timely occurrences. The phases of healing may overlap, but include the following three phases, namely the inflammatory, proliferative and maturation phases.

The healing of a chronic wound, on the other hand, is unpredictable and complex. In this case factors that impair wound healing include less active growth factors, high levels of inflammatory cytokines and protease to be maintained; a bacterial imbalance; abnormal cells and dysfunctional wound matrix component. Chronic wounds are caught up in the inflammatory and proliferative phases, with the result that the wound bed does not epithelialise and close.